what do i do?

[LilPunkGirl]

my friend jason is a really good guitarist, and ive only been playing for a little while, a few months. what am i supposed to play for him when i want to show him my skills (or lack there of)? he asks, but i feel dumb cuz i dont know what to do. http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/confused.gif

[zbalz]

Honestly, Ive been playing for about 10 months and I have the SAME problem. People walk in my room and say "play something"...sure I can fool with chords and stuff but I don't really have the urge to play FULL songs...because a lot of them are repetitive. I just know a whole lot of riffs which I forget that I know in about a week. (Thinking of making a little song/tab book of songs I learned)

Above that, when I do play something, they never really recognize it. It seems to me that the average person listens more directly on the vocals or just the whole sound altogether rather than breaking down and enjoying each part individually...at least the people that asked me were like that. I think there was a thread long ago based on that.

Anyway, you said you are a fingerstylist so learn a little stairway to heaven...that can never go wrong http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/smile.gif

-zbalz

[StoneDragon]

Yeah... learning a few classic riffs is probably the way to go. It used to be that you could whip out the intro to smoke On The Water, Iron Man, Whole Lotta Love, etc... and people would think you knew how to play.

What are the popular riffs today? Learn a couple of those and pick up a few blues licks. You'll be set.

You could always ask him to show you something too.

[Eric]

I just started jamming with other people about a month ago after playing almost two years. It's nerve wracking at first, but once you realize how much you're going to learn by playing with and / or for better players, you will soon get over these fears. Once that happens, you then want to find more situations to play in! Also, since your friend is a player, he should know good and well that you're not going to amaze anyone after a few months of playing.

You've been at it long enough that you probably have one or two things that you play better than others. Just throw your best stuff out there (even if it's just some chord changes or whatever...) and be open to comments. You can't lose...

[skubasteve120]

mmmmmm..... californication, voodoo child, sleep now in the fire, or satellite.

it all depends on the person thats askin you. the intros to those four will cover most people....

[ghodaddyyo]

Careful with the playing riffs bit. That's an area I'm trying to break out of. Why? Because people have asked me, "Don't you know a song all the way through"? Of course I do, but like zbalz said, the song's guitar parts become repetitive and boring.

On playing todays popular songs. Now you have to use alternate tunings. That sucks! I'm having a hard enough time finding the right notes in standard tuning, and now you want me to totally rearrange their order? Oh well, at least you will be able to sound really, really heavy and play power chords with just one finger! That'll really impress someone!

Although I do learn old and modern songs, for a real showcase of what I can do with a guitar, I just pick up an accoustic (NO EFFECTS!) and play a nice jazz chord melody or a classical piece. It will impress both older more mature audiences, as well as that Nu Metal crowd that can only play one finger power chords! These songs are much harder to learn, but totally rewarding. You can even find books that will progress you from a total beginner to intermediate. Trust me, beginning classical or chord melodies SOUND a lot more complicated than they really are. Take it from me, the first Grade 1 classical song I ever learned still impresses people today! (Andante by Fernando Sor from a Classical Guitar for Beginners with Tab book).

[MrSamson]

Dude....

I totally hear you on the 1 finger power chord songs....

very mundain to play as a guitarist...so I dont really.

But a disapointing direction to go for guitar.

I am hoping that the orignal band members fo Van Halen rocks the rock world again....maybe they can time it with Jordan returning to the NBA or something...play as part of the opening game ceremonies at Jordans first return game to kick off their world tour.

hahahhahahha.

Later,

http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/devil.gif

[Retro]

I know from experience that it can be intimidating to play with more experienced guitarists, but it doesn't have to be. From my experience if have found that most good guitar players enjoy the oportunity to mentor someone of less experience, so take advantage of it. Don't worry about having to impress them. They probably aren't expecting you to. They just want to have some fun playing with someone else who has a love for the guitar. I'm currently in a band with a bass player and drummer with much less experience than I have. I don't focus on what they can't do, I just enjoy what they can do. And you know what, at times they do impress me. Not because they play like they have been doing it all their lives, but because at times they play above the level I expect from someone with their experience. You know what else, you don't have to be great to sound good when you jam. You just have to know what you can do and work inside your envelope. The most important thing for a band is to complement each other - it's the total sound that counts. My bass layer has been playing about 4-5 months and the drummer less than 2 years, but we sound pretty good. The secret is I keep it pretty basic for them. But basic can sound good if done right, and basic done good is much better than complex done bad.

Have fun and keep playing,
Jay

[LilPunkGirl]

yay! thanks for the support! *sniff* i love you guys! this place is so warm and fuzzy, its like a support group...

[Jagstang666]

im in a support group lol

[StoneDragon]

My name is Stonedragon... I'm a guitaraholic.